WASHINGTON (WBEN) -- Senator Rand Paul had a heated exchange with Dr. Fauci on Thursday, accusing him of making policy decisions based on conjecture.
Dr Fauci, the nation's high profile expert on COVID-19, was participating in a Senate hearing on Coronavirus when the exchange took place.
The Republican Senator from Kentucky took issue with Fauci's prediction that Americans might be wearing masks until 2022.
"You’re telling everybody to wear a mask whether they’ve had infection or had a vaccine. What I’m saying is they have immunity and everybody agrees they have immunity," Paul told Fauci.
Paul referenced a study that found no symptomatic reinfections, and another study that showed natural infections could prevent the majority of the population from being hospitalized from the virus for perhaps years to come.
Fauci insisted that vaccines and natural immunity did not protect against COVID-19 variants, which have not yet had a significant impact in the United States.
"When you talk about reinfection and you don't keep in the concept of variants, that's an entirely different ballgame. That’s a good reason for a mask," he said.
"What study has found reinfection with severe symptoms with variants? You’re making policy based on conjecture," Paul said.
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"You've been vaccinated and you parade around in two masks for show," the senator continued. "You're defying everything we know about immunity by telling people to wear a mask that have been vaccinated."
"You want to get rid of vaccine hesitancy? Tell them they can quit wearing their mask after they get a vaccine, instead of telling them the nanny state's going to be there for three more years and you’ve got to wear a mask forever. People don't want to hear it and there's no science behind it," Paul continued.
"If you have immunity you’re wearing a mask to give comfort to others. You’re not wearing a mask because of any science," he said.
Watch the exchange below: